Times of India: PM nominates former Pakistan player for post of PHF president

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation announced that its Patron-in-Chief, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has nominated former player and manager Brig (retired) Mohammad Khalid S Khokhar for the President’s post of PHF.

Khokhar was present at the press conference in Islamabad on Thursday when former Olympian Akhtar Rasool resigned as head of PHF.

PHF secretary Rana Mujahid said a formal council meeting would be held next week to elect the retired Brigadier.

Khokar has played for and captained Pakistan Army team from 1973-84 and was named in several Pakistan training camps.

He also served as manager of the Pakistan team for nearly three years, including the 2002 World Cup, held in Kuala Lumpur.

He has served as national selector and was appointed as chairman of the present PHF Disciplinary Committee and also served as Director General Army Sports Board.

Mujahid said that Brig (rtd) Khokhar’s hockey knowledge and administrative abilities are expected to bring in changes, required for the uplift of the game at grassroots, national and international level.

It is also expected that once Khokar takes charge there will be other changes in PHF and national team management.

He will have to review a recommendation of the fact finding committee that there is no need to have a national selection committee and teams should be selected by the manager and coach.

Rasool was forced to resign following the national team’s failure to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time in Pakistan’s history.

The shock ouster in the World Hockey League semifinals in Belgium two months ago led to the formation of a government fact finding committee to determine the reasons for hockey’s decline in Pakistan and the poor performance of the federation and team.